Wrench.



M. ZAPOTOGZNY. WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1914.

1, 1 05,01 3. Patented July 28, 19 14.

FIE-i5 I a A 57 mx Wf/ an/ 5% fi m 5- WITH 63% INVENTOR Cir MIOHAL ZAIPOTOCZNY, O WILMEEDI NG, PENNS LVANIA.

' WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 30, 1914. Serial No. 815,573.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MICI-IALYZAPOTOOZNY, residing at lVilmerding, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a subject of Austria, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which improvements the fol lowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a wrench, the jaws of which maybe adjusted to receive various size angular articles such as nuts or bolts to be turned, such jaws at their several adjusted positions being adapted to grip a nut and to firmly maintain their hold thereof when the wrench is turned in one direction, but, when the wrench is turned in the opposite direction, being adapted to freely move around the nut and engage different faces of it without being removed therefrom.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming part of my specification, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the wrench in its position of engaging the faces of a nut; Fig. 2 a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the wrench jaws as slipping around the corners or long diameter of the nut; Fig. 3 a longitudinal central sectional view of the wrenchas illustrated in Fig. 1, the plane of section being parallel to the sides of the wrench; Fig. 4 a View of the side of the wrench opposite that shown in Fig.1; and Fig. 5 a longitudinal sectional view taken on the lines VV, Fig. 4%.

In the several figures like numerals are used to designate like parts... 3 I

In the practice of my invention the outer wrench jaw is rigidly secured to a stem, which is pivotally mounted in the handle. The second jaw is slidably mounted on such stem between its pivotal point of connection to the handle and the outer jaw, and may be held yieldingly toward the outer jaw by means of a suitable spring. The handle portion is provided with detents, which, when the wrench in engagement with a nut is turned in one direction, are effective to hold the slidable jaw immovable with relation to the outer jaw, but which are ineffective for this purpose when the wrench handle is turned in the opposite direction.

Referring to the illustrative embodiment of my invention, the outer jaw 1 and the stem 2 are preferably formed integrally of forged steel, thejaw forming a T-head on the stem so that either side of the wrench, may be;used. The handle portion may also beforged, and comprises a bar 3, to which gripping pieces 41 are secured, and side plates 5 and 5*, there being an intervening space between the inner faces of the side plates adapted to receive the stem 2. A cylindrical ring 6 is rotatably mounted in suitable circular openings in the side plates, the outenfaces of the ring preferably being flush with the outer faces of such plates. This ring is provided with a slot 7 parallel with its plane faces and adapted to receive the stem2, and through which slot the stem may slide. ring transversely of the slot 7 and adapted to receive an interiorlj threaded adjustment screw 9 whichsurrounds the stemand engages the'threads formed thereon. By such Patented July 28, 1914.

A second slot 8 is formed in the i construction it will be seen that the jaw-provided stem 2 is pivotally mounted in the handle and that the jaw 1 may be adjusted with relation thereto. I

The second aw 10, having also two gripping faces, is slidably mounted upon the stem 2, and is held yieldingly toward the jaw 1 by means of a compression spring 11, which surrounds a guide rod 12 pivotally connected at one end to the jaw 10. The other end of the guide rod ext-ends loosely through a lug 13 formed on a spacer 19 between the plates 5 and 5 the spring 11 bear-J ing at its opposite ends against the lug 13 andthe jaw 10. In order to hold the jaw.

10 in fixed relative position with relation to i the jaw 1, the side plates 5 and 55 extend beyond the pivot ring 6, and are provided with suitable detents formed at the sides 'of the jaw 10. The plate 5 is provided with two detents or shoulders 14 and 15 and with a detent or finger 16, the detents 15 and 16 forming a pocket between them adapted to receive a tongue 17 formed on the jaw 10; while the plate 5 is provided with detents 14 and 15*. As will readily be seen the faces of the detents may be arcs of a circle struck from the pivot point of the handle and stem 2.

The function "of the several detents may be best understood by describing the use of the wrench. Normally the stem 2 and handle 3, 4, 5 are held in alinement by the action of the spring 11, it being seen that the movement of the jaw 10 toward the jaw 1 is resisted by the finger 16 which engages the tongue 17. This relative position of parts is illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 4:, and is the same whether or not a nut 18 is between the jaws. When the jaws are adjusted, by turning the screw 9, to receive a nut 18, the wrench handle may be turned in the direction of the arrow A (see Fig. 1), and, in such turning of the handle, the detents 14, 15 and 1 1*, 15 of the plates 5 and 5 respectively, hold the jaw in its fixed relative position with relation to the jaw l and in firm engagment with the face of the I nut. l/Vhen the handle is moved in the opposite direction (as indicated by the arrow B of Fig. 2), the resistance of the nut to movement in that direction causes the handle to move out of alinement with the stem 2. The detents 14c, 15 and 14 15 are thus removed from their engagement with the jaw 10, so that such jaw may move against the resistanceof the spring 11 to the position indicated in Fig. 2, the jaws thus being enabled to move freely around the long diameter of the nut and to engagement with the next faces thereof. The pivotal movement between the stem 2 and handle is limited in one direction by the detents of the side plates, and in the other direction by means of the end of the spacer 19, which forms an abutment -20 in the path of travel of the stem.

As'the jaws 1 and 10 extend from opposite sides of the stem 2, it will be readily understood that the wrench may be used to turn a nut in either direction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wrench, the combination of a handle, a stem pivotally connected thereto and having a jaw at its outer end, means for adjusting the stem with relation to the handle, a jaw slidably mounted on the stem, a spring exerting its force against said handle 1 and sliding jaw to yieldingly hold said stem and handle in a fixed relative position and to yieldingly hold the sliding jaw outwardly and co'ciperating detents on said sliding jaw and handle for limiting the movement of the sliding jaw in both directions on said stem.

2. In a wrench, the combination of a handle, a stem pivotally connected thereto and having a jaw at its outer end, means for adjusting the stem with relation to the handle, a jaw slidably mounted on the stem, a spring exerting its force against said handle and sliding jaw to yieldingly hold said stem in alinement with said handle and to yieldingly hold the sliding jaw toward said stem jaw and in work-engaging position, cooperating detents on said handle and sliding jaw effective when the handle and stem are in alinement to hold the sliding jaw in fixed position with relation to the handle, but inefiective for such purpose when the handle and stem are out of alinement with each other.

3. In a wrench, the combination of a handle having a gripping portion and two side plates extending therefrom, a ring r0- tatably mounted in said plates and provided with a stem and adjustment-screw slots, an adjustment screw in said last named slot, a stem extending through said stem slot and said screw and provided with a jaw at its outer end, a second jaw slidably mounted on the stem, a compression spring between said slidable jaw and the handle, and detents formed at the outer ends of said plates and efiective when the handle is turned in one direction to hold said slidable jaw against longitudinal movement along said stem, but ineffective for such purpose when the wrench handle is turned in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MIOHAL ZAPOTOCZNY. Witnesses:

PAUL N. GRrroHLoW, FRANCIS J. TOMASSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentn,

Washington, D. 0. 

